Storm description, surface observations, snowfall totals, and images courtesy of the National Climatic Data Center, the National Centers of Environmental Prediction, the Climate Prediction Center, the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center, the Mount Holly National Weather Service Office, the Upton National Weather Service Office, Rutgers University, Plymouth State University, the University of Illinois, the American Meteorological Society, Weather Graphics Technologies, AccuWeather, and the Weather Channel.
Table of Contents
Storm Summary
Regional Surface Observations
National Weather Service Forecasts
Surface Maps
Satellite Imagery
National Surface Weather Maps - Pressure and Fronts Only
Continental Surface Weather Maps - Pressure and Fronts Only
Sea Level Pressure and 1000 to 500 Millibar Thickness Maps
850 Millibar Maps
700 Millibar Maps
500 Millibar Maps
300 Millibar Maps
200 Millibar Maps
National Radar Imagery
Regional Radar Imagery
Fort Dix Doppler Radar Imagery
Storm Photos
Contoured Snowfall Totals from March 18-19, 2004
STORM DESCRIPTION
For the second time in a week, snow blanketed much of the state. This was the final snowfall of the 2003-2004 winter season in New Jersey.
Synoptic Discussion
A pair of low pressure systems, one of which an Alberta Clipper, were responsible for the snowfall. The northern system was in Alberta, Canada on the morning of 17th while the southern stream system was in western Texas. The clipper system continued east-southeastward and reached Wisconsin on the morning of the 18th, while the southern stream system moved east-northeastward and was in Oklahoma by then. An energy transfer then began as the southern stream system strengthened at the expense of the clipper system. By the early evening of the 18th, the southern stream system had moved into the Ohio Valley while the clipper system continued weakening in Michigan. Finally, both systems consolidated into a single low pressure system during the later evening hours of the 18th, and by the early morning hours of the 19th, a single low pressure system entered northwestern Virginia. The consolidated low moved eastward and strengthened, and was just off the coast of the Delmarva Peninsula by dawn on the 19th. The system continued strengthening as it moved eastward, but by the early afternoon of the 19th, it was already several hundred miles away from New Jersey.
Local Discussion
Precipitation spread across New Jersey from southwest to northeast during the late evening of the 18th and the early morning of the 19th. Due to the lack of a cold arctic airmass over New Jersey, precipitation type was elevation dependent at the start. Higher elevations in northern and western New Jersey saw all snow, including Sussex, Passaic, Morris, Warren, Hunterdon, northwestern Mercer, northwestern Somerset, northwestern Union, northwestern Essex and northwestern Bergen counties. Meanwhile, lower elevations in southern and eastern New Jersey saw precipitation begin as rain, including Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, Salem, Gloucester, Camden, Burlington, Ocean, Monmouth, Hudson, southeastern Bergen, southeastern Essex, southeastern Union, southeastern Somerset and southeastern Mercer counties. The precipitation became quite intense in some areas as the storm system continued to intensify, and the heavy precipitation caused the atmosphere to cool. This allowed the rain to change to snow from northwest to southeast across New Jersey during the early morning hours of the 19th. The rain had changed to snow across southeastern Mercer, southeastern Somerset, Middlesex, Monmouth and northern Burlington counties by 2AM EST on the 19th. The changeover occured by 3AM EST across southeastern Bergen and southeastern Union counties, and rain changed to snow in southeastern Essex and Hudson counties by 4AM EST. Further south, the changeover occured by 5AM EST in Ocean, Camden, northern Gloucester and southern Burlington counties. By 6AM EST the snow encompassed Atlantic, Salem and southern Gloucester counties, and by 7AM the rain finally changed to snow in Cumberland and Cape May counties. Later in the morning as snowfall intensity began to diminish, the snow mixed with rain once again in many locations which started as rain. The snow and rain finally ended from northwest to southeast during the mid to late morning of the 19th. The lowest levels of the atmosphere remained near freezing across much of the state despite the change to snow, and accumulations were elevation-dependent in many areas. Additionally, convective banding in some locations also caused locally higher snowfall amounts than were seen in some other nearby locations. The intense urban heat island of New York City and its environs also caused snowfall amounts to decrease as one approached the city. All of these factors resulted in a highly unusual snow accumulation pattern across the state. Accumulations ranged from 2 to 8 inches in Passaic County, 2 to 7 inches in Sussex, Warren and Morris counties, 2 to 6 inches in Monmouth County, 3 to 5 inches in Mercer County, 1 to 5 inches in Bergen and Essex counties, 1 to 4 inches in Hunterdon, Somerset, Middlesex, Ocean, and Burlington counties, 1 to 3 inches in Union, Camden, Gloucester and Atlantic counties, around 1 inch in Salem and Cumberland counties, and less than 1 inch in Hudson and Cape May counties.
New Jersey Snowfall Totals
Individual Snowfall Totals from March 18-19, 2004
Regional Snowfall Totals
Snowfall Totals from 17Z 19 March 2004 (12PM EST 19 March 2004)
Table of Contents
Storm Summary
Regional Surface Observations
National Weather Service Forecasts
Surface Maps
Satellite Imagery
National Surface Weather Maps - Pressure and Fronts Only
Continental Surface Weather Maps - Pressure and Fronts Only
Sea Level Pressure and 1000 to 500 Millibar Thickness Maps
850 Millibar Maps
700 Millibar Maps
500 Millibar Maps
300 Millibar Maps
200 Millibar Maps
National Radar Imagery
Regional Radar Imagery
Fort Dix Doppler Radar Imagery
Storm Photos
Snow and ice storm, December 5-6, 2003
Snow storm, December 14-15, 2003
Snow storm, January 14-15, 2004
Snow and ice storm, January 17-18, 2004
Snow storm, January 26, 2004
Snow and ice storm, January 27-28, 2004
Snow and ice storm, March 16-17, 2004
Snow storm, March 18-19, 2004
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